Underground Comic The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Getting Animated TV Series

Original Article: ScreenRant

By Kevin Yedman

Underground comic series The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers is getting the animated TV series treatment from the producers of King of the Hill and American Dad, as well as the co-creators of Silicon Valley and the co-creators and stars of Workaholics. The first season of the new series will consist of eight, 22-minute episodes that will be executive produced by Mark Canton (Power) and Courtney Solomon (American Haunting), while Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland will serve as showrunners. 

An underground, counterculture comic series dating back to the late ‘60s, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers was created by Gilbert Shelton and first appeared in the Austin, Texas newspaper, The Rag. The series centered on three characters, Freewheelin’ Franklin Freek, Phineas T. Phreak, and Fat Freddy Frekowtski, and their seemingly never-ending pursuit of bliss — or to put it another way: recreational drugs. In the process, the Furry Freak Brothers and Shelton managed to develop quite the cult following, one that resulted in the property being translated into numerous different languages and selling more than 40 million comics worldwide. 

Now, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers property is set to get a new lease on life by becoming the next potential adult animated hit. And with the talent that’s behind it already, along with the animation studios Starburn Industries and Pure Imagination Studios (the folks behind Rick and Morty, The Simpsons, and Lego Batman), the series stands a good chance at connecting with audiences looking for something a little different and more than a little offbeat. In an official press release, Workaholics stars and co-creators Adam Devine and Blake Anderson had this to say: 

“We connected so much to these characters. They’re just trying to enjoy life while understanding the world around them, and the adventures they go through along the way had us fully giggling while simultaneously making us think. When the opportunity arose to get involved not just as talent but also on a creative level, we jumped at the chance and also WEED, man!”

While an official network or streaming service has yet to be named, there’s a good chance that will be announced when the series’ showrunners and talent head to San Diego Comic-Con 2019 with a panel on Friday, July 19. With any luck, some of the details will include a first look at the animated Freak Brothers in action as well. 

WORKAHOLICS Join THE FABULOUS FURRY FREAK BROTHERS Animated Series

Original Article: Nerdist

By Michael Walsh

The Workaholics just landed themselves a new gig, and this time they’re going to be a lot more animated. Adam Devine and Blake Anderson are partnering with an all-star team on a new cartoon series based on the classic cult comic book The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers first premiered in comic form in 1968. WTG Enterprises, LLC has announced Devine and Anderson will voice characters, produce, and work on the creative team. The adult-oriented half-hour show, which has an eight-episode first season, “will revolve around three rowdy characters looking to shake up history and push the envelope while keeping audiences entertained and wanting more.”

“We connected so much to these characters. They’re just trying to enjoy life while understanding the world around them, and the adventures they go through along the way had us fully giggling while simultaneously making us think,” said Adam Devine and Blake Anderson in the show’s announcement. “When the opportunity arose to get involved not just as talent but also on a creative level, we jumped at the chance and also WEED, man!”

Shelton will serve as an executive producer on the show, which will draw on stories from the comic.  Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland (King of the Hill, America Dad) signed on as showrunners. John Althschuler and Dave Krinsky (Silicon Valley) will write and produce, with Daniel and Jeremy Lehrer (Highly Gifted) also serving as writers and producers. Mark Canton (Power, 300) and Courtney Solomon (AFTER, American Haunting, Dungeons & Dragons) will also executive produce. Starburns Industries (Rick and Morty, Animals) and Pure Imagination Studios (The Simpsons, Lego Batman) will handle animation.

Apparently it was really really hard to get talented people to sign on.

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers first debuted as an underground press comic strip. It follows “a threesome of freaks and a mischievous cat from San Francisco who are consistently looking for a state of bliss, relieved only by bursts of paranoia or stimulant induced frenzies”. From there it blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon, translated into 14 languages and selling over 40 million comics.

The cast and crew will reveal more about the show at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Their panel is Friday, July 19 at 7:00pm in room 6 BCF of the Convention Center. They’ll discuss “the behind the scenes process around adapting this iconic 50-year-old comic book into a unique series.”

Considering the team they’ve put together and the source material, this sounds like a lot of fun. And a lot of work. No wonder they wanted the Workaholics on the job.

Workaholics creators to turn underground comic The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers into an animated series

Original Article: Polygon

By Petrana Radulovic

The EPs of King of the Hill and American Dad will spearhead the comedy

The notorious underground comic The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers is coming to the small screen. Workaholics actors Adam Devine and Blake Anderson will lead the voice cast and executive produce, along with Mark Canton (Power, 300) and Courtney Solomon (American Haunting, Dungeons & Dragons). King of the Hill and American Dad executive producers Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland will act as showrunners, with Silicon Valley co-creators John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky on board as writers.

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, created by Gilbert Shelton, centered on a trio of stoner “freak” characters; freak, in this context, being a subculture commonly associated with the hippie scene in San Francisco, falling somewhere in the post-hippie, pre-punk era. The characters — Freewheelin’ Franklin Freek, Phineas T. Phreak, and Fat Freddy Freekowtski — first appeared in the late 1960s in an underground Texas newspaper called the Rag. The strip blew up in the decade after.

During that era, American comics printers adhered to a draconian set of content rules known as the Comics Code, rejecting anything that didn’t conform to its standards. Hence, the rise of Underground Comix (with the homophonic X denoting a big helping of adults-only content) in the late ’60s, which were largely self-published and distributed alongside or within subculture zines and newspapers. The first Freak Brothers comic was published in 1971 and to this day, over 40 million Freak Brothers comics have been sold worldwide. In 2006, a claymation film based on the characters started production, but it was scrapped in 2013.

This series, however, won’t be claymation, but more traditionally animated by Starburns Industries (Rick & Morty) and Pure Imagination Studios (The Simpsons). Shelton will serve as Executive Producer. The eight-episode series will premiere on a yet-to-be-determined platform in 2020. More information about the series will be revealed at this year’s San Diego Comic Con.

About joining the project, actors Adam Devine and Blake Anderson said: “When the opportunity arose to get involved not just as talent but also on a creative level, we jumped at the chance and also WEED, man!”

Variety News

Featured in the TV News Roundup: Variety

GREENLIGHTS

Several of the creative minds behind shows like “Workaholics,” “King of the Hill,” “American Dad” and “Silicon Valley”  are teaming up to produce an animated series based on the comic book series “The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.” Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland will serve as showrunners, John Althschuler and Dave Krinsky will write and produce, Adam Devine and Blake Anderson will voice characters and executive produce, and Courtney Solomon and Mark Canton will co-exec produce. The cult favorite comic series revolves around the misadventures of three counterculture druggies.

Forbes Magazine

Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers To Fly Flag In Animated Series

Original Article: Forbes Magazine

By David Bloom

Long-time underground comix stars The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are about to emerge into the light with an eight-episode animated series, with help from key creative talent behind Rick & Morty, Silicon Valley andWorkaholics, among others.

Gilbert Shelton, the Freak Brothers' creator, will be an executive producer on the animated project. The show will be built around his comic's original story lines, which follow the misadventures of three pharmacologically impaired non-siblings (and their cat) as they try to find more drugs, It is both celebration and satire of alternative culture, and remains a cult favorite. Freak Brothers comics have been translated into 14 languages with more than 40 million copies sold.

The Freak Brothers debuted in 1968 in The Rag, an Austin, Texas, alternative paper. Three years later, the first stand-alone Freak Brothers comics were published, with new issues from Shelton and eventual collaborators David Sheridan and Paul Mavrides arriving through1992, including runs in publications such as High Times and Playboy. Compilations of the work have been in print in one form or another ever since.

The eight 22-minute episodes of adult-oriented animation are expected to be ready by early next year. The project has not lined up distribution yet, but has enlisted a lengthy list of Hollywood veterans of notable TV and film projects.

• The series was commissioned by WTG Enterprises, whose executives include long-time Hollywood producer and former Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. movie executive Mark Canton (Power, 300). Canton will executive produce with WTG CEO Courtney Solomon (AFTER, American Haunting, Dungeons & Dragons), and WTG President Jeffrey Edell (The Kids Are Alright, The Grey)

• Showrunners will be Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland (writers on King of the Hill and America Dad).

• John Althschuler and Dave Krinsky, co-creators of Silicon Valley, will write, produce and serve as executive producers and creative contributors.

• Adam Devine and Blake Anderson, co-creators of the long-running series Workaholics, will voice characters. They also will serve as executive producers and creative contributors.

• Daniel and Jeremy Lehrer (Highly Gifted) will serve as writers and producers.

• Starburns Industries (Rick and Morty, .Animals) and Pure Imagination Studios (The Simpsons, Lego Batman) will create the animation.